Video game spending in the US for August 2024 is only seven percent lower than last year during the same period, per Circana. However, as analyst and executive director Mat Piscatella recently revealed, hardware spending dropped by 36 percent to $208 million.
While the Nintendo Switch had the biggest fall, dropping 41 percent in sales year-on-year (likely due to its upcoming successor), other current-gen consoles dropped by at least 34 percent. Nevertheless, the PS5 leads in unit and dollar sales for August, followed by the Xbox Series X/S. Time will tell if the PS5 Pro’s launch in November leads to a major shift in hardware spending trends.
Accessory spending came in at $173 million, dropping by three percent compared to last year. Gamepad spending fell by ten percent, with the PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller in Midnight Black topping accessory charts in dollar sales. However, the Remote Play Device sector saw some growth, with the PlayStation Portal remaining the best-selling accessory for the year.
August video game hardware spending dropped 36% when compared to a year ago, to $208 million. All current generation console hardware platforms declined by at least 34% when compared to a year ago, with Switch showing the sharpest year-on-year fall (-41%).
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:18:32.512Z
PlayStation 5 again led the month’s hardware market in unit and dollar sales, with Xbox Series ranking 2nd across both measures.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:18:50.509Z
Consumer spending on Accessories in August fell 3% when compared to a year ago, to $173M. Growth in the Remote Play Device segment (PlayStation Portal), was offset by a 10% year-on-year decline in Gamepad spending.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:18:55.410Z
The PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller in Midnight Black was August’s best-selling accessory in dollar sales, while PlayStation Portal remained the best-seller for 2024 year-to-date.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:19:08.714Z